Let Go
by LullabyforaStormyNight
Summary: She never wanted to go, her fame always in the way but when her brother's letters stopped, she decides to find him. Would the William she found be the same one? He had never felt farther from his friends. Yumi, stress from school, and pressure from Jeremy all put tension on his bond with them. When a chance encounter puts his focus on a certain red-head, will he rethink everything?
1. Prolog

I held on for as long as I could. My palm wrapped around her wrist tightly as she dangled from the edge of the ice sector. Below her, was nothing… an abyss that held no life, carried no existence. I looked down into her pleading eyes. How could I do what she asked? Looking back across my other shoulder, my gut twisted at the sight. Ulrich fought against William in vain. He could have only had maybe 20 life points left and Aelita was cowering behind an iceberg. If she moved, it would be over, for her, for us, for the whole world.

I looked down again, back in her direction, "You have to let go."

I knew I would never be able to pull her up again, "No, I-I can't do that. I won't let go."

"Odd you can't!" Ulrich yelled over, just before exploding into thousands of blue pixels.

"It's either me, or the world Odd."

The last moment I had with her was the glimpse of her dark red hair and the sensation of her fingers slipping through mine.


	2. Chapter 1

_Regina_

It was my first day at Kadic Academy. I never wanted to go here, but now, it seemed to be the only solution. For a while, I tried my hardest to put it off. This place, it was in my brother's plans… not mine. Back home, my small public school was all I wanted, my friends were amazing, I was the top of my class. Naturally, my parents were surprised when I had a change of heart so suddenly.

As I walked across the perfectly trimmed school grounds, my ulterior motives were clear to me alone. Heading towards the main school building, my suitcase was heavy in my palm. I looked around at all the kids lounging around on benches and on blankets, enjoying their Sunday evening. A group of four was chatting in an archway, when I walked past; they grew silent and glared back at me coldly. I brushed a piece of red hair from my eyes and met the steely stare of a Japanese girl. Keeping my cool, I pushed through one of the doors.

Inside the hallways were large and clean, just the way Will described them to me. I wandered from corridor to corridor, coming across classrooms and laboratories. On my little adventure, I found double doors leading to a large library and a moderate sized cafeteria behind another set. I leaned against a wall, feeling overwhelmed. Growling, I stepped away and kicked the other side of the hallway. An echo of the thud my black leather boot made bounced around the passage way.

"Hey, no need to punish the wall," the boy had snuck up behind me. He had a goofy look on his face partially hidden by scruffy brown hair. Awkwardly he fidgeted with his green military jacket and the strap of his messenger bag, "Hi, my name's Ulrich."

"The name's Reggie," I replied.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Reggie, huh? That's unique for a girl's name."

"It's short for Regina," I said rolling my eyes.

"You must be new here. I haven't seen you around on campus at all." He smiled.

"Yeah, that would be a true statement."

He laughed a little, "Why'd you kick the wall?"

I bounced uncomfortably on my heels, not sure why he was paying so much attention to me, "I can't find where I'm supposed to go… even though I've traveled almost every inch of it."

He smiled at me, "So you kicked a wall?"

I put my hand on my hip, "Maybe, you know what they say about red heads. We have quite the temper."

"Okay, okay, I'll take you to Delmas."

We backtracked to about the only hallway I had missed on my tour alone. For the few minutes he was with me, we chatted. He asked me where I was from; I asked what there was for fun around here. "Well, we have access to the city on the weekends but really there's only a movie theatre and a couple shops," he answered.

I sighed, "Fantastic." Being here was bad enough, add boring surroundings, and it felt like Hell.

When we finally reached the office, I was really embarrassed. Had it been right here the entire time?

"Well thanks and sorry for being such a bonehead. I guess I'll see you later. Maybe?" I asked smoothly. Ulrich was kind of cute, and when we talked, he seemed genuinely cool. Kind of like he wasn't trying to fake anything. I probably wouldn't mind seeing him again, even though I wasn't here to make friends.

"Definitely, I'll see you around Reggie." He winked at me before hurrying back the way we came.

"Hmm… alright then," I mumbled. Smiling a little, I pushed through the door to the office. A secretary directed me towards the door where he waited. Inside the rectangular room, a man with a mustache sat behind a large wood desk. He looked up from his computer at me.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Delmas asked.

"Uh, I'm the new student here. Regina Dunbar?" I muttered.

He frowned as he looked me up and down, "Ah, yes. Regina Dunbar, now I remember. Well we are very pleased to have such a high level student added to our classes."

"Thank you, sir. I am very… excited to be here," I replied.

"Excellent, well, I sincerely hope you are better behaved than your brother."

_Ulrich_

Back on my path to outside, I really hoped the light blush on my cheeks would fade before I bumped into my friends. The last thing I wanted was to have Odd teasing me about the look on my face, or have Yumi glaring at me over it. I had wasted enough time at my after-class meeting with Ms. Hertz and knew they all would be waiting for me.

Sure enough, the four of them all lounged around in an archway not far from the door that brought me outside. "Hey, Ulrich. What took you so long?" Jeremy pushed up his glasses further over his small nose when he asked me.

"I had to, uh… help Ms. Hertz with something." I choked out.

Yumi frowned at me, crossing her arms, "And that took you half an hour? We're going to miss the show now." Her harsh tone caught me off guard.

"Sorry. Something else came up too, okay? So cool it huh…" I snapped back at her. For the past few weeks our friendship had something weird going on. It was like we couldn't stand each other anymore.

Aelita put a hand on my shoulder, "Did something happen with your teacher Ulrich."

"It really doesn't matter. You guys can go catch another movie if you want; I'm just going to head back to my dorm." I shrugged of her warm hand. Instantly she began to play with the drawstrings to her hoodie nervously. I sent a slight grin her way. No need for me to make her think she did anything wrong.

Odd raised an eyebrow, "Well fine then crabby. Why don't you go take some Midol while you're at it?" The rest began to laugh, but I didn't.

"Whatever, I guess I'll see you later," I muttered, heading towards the boys' dorms. Tonight was a really nice night out. The air had cooled off some. Winter was coming faster and faster but still, the grounds held onto mild warmth. The setting sun changed the sky to shades of orange, coating the grounds in gold. I know it was cliché to think of these things, but I just really liked nights like this. When I reached the stairs of the dormitory, I wasn't quite ready to go in. Taking a seat towards the side of the stairway, I daydreamed as the sky glowed. Clouds moved in uneven clumps, too lazy to drop any rain.

During that time, my mind wandered. I thought about whether I should have left to go to the theatre with the rest. The idea of there being some fantastic memory made without me created a knot in my stomach. Did Yumi and Odd and Jeremy really need me as much as I needed them? The way humans needed each other was such a weird thought. The entire way friendships work is you say to yourself '_I like this one, we will do stuff together' _and that's that. Wouldn't it make more sense for everyone to just mind their own business?

A series of snorts interrupted my thoughts. Looking over, a group of teens with arms slung over shoulders stumbled along, drunk with laughter. Then I remembered… where's the fun anywhere else besides being with other irrational people?

Time passed as I watched various middle and high school kid wander back to the dorms or head back to their actual homes. The grounds became more and more deserted as curfew got closer and closer. I stood up, not sure how much time had passed or why I had waited outside in the first place. Then I saw her.

Jim was escorting her across the space between the two dorms while her nose was buried in a welcome folder. He waved his hand in the air, probably sharing some oddball story from back in the day. Reggie nodded along absently, staring up at the façade of the girls' dorm. The burly gym teacher passed her a key, and she thanked him with a nod. He turned and left her alone after a heavy pat on the back. She nearly laughed as he tripped in the process of jogging off.

Muffling the noise with her hand, Regina began to go up and into the dorms. Before she did, she surprised me by turning in my direction. After wrestling the breeze for control over her uneven bangs, Reggie raised the hand not holding her suitcase in a silent hello. I mirrored her actions and we both headed up the stairs.

Inside, I was glad I waited around. You never know what can happen.


	3. Chapter 2

_Ulrich_

I doodled absently in my notebook during English. Mrs. Morn yammered on in the background about the philosophy of the novel we were reading while scribbling information regarding paradoxes on the chalk board during her lecture. My eyes drifted out the window while I reflected on this morning's events.

I basically had to pull Odd out of bed this morning for his social studies test first hour. He had snuck back into our dorm just after midnight… way past curfew.

"You shoulda come with, Ulrich. The film was great: loads of action, plenty of suspense, and a few sweet looking babes. Whatcha do anyway?" Odd yawned as he settled for bed last night, or I guess, earlier this morning.

"Shame I missed it," I said sarcastically, "but I had a good time here. I'm actually glad I stayed in." My roommate was out cold before I could say anymore.

The alarm to wake us up unfortunately still came too soon. My fist slammed down shutting off its infernal screeching. I groaned at the effort to sit up. "Odd, come on. Time to get up, lazy." All the reply I was met with was groans. "Whatever." God, I said that word a lot. Pushing myself to my feet, I managed to stumble over to the shared closet. While I selected a pair of dark wash jeans and a brown colored shirt, Odd continued to snore. "Ugh… I hate that noise!" I slid on the pants over the boxers I slept in. The T-shirt covered my bare chest. Once again I walked back over to my old _pal_, stillsound asleep. This time I would be less gentle. "ODDDDDDDDD!"

"Whhaaa?!" he yelled, rolling off his bed in surprise. I couldn't help it… I laughed so hard I began coughing. "Yeah, real funny Ulrich. Laugh all you want!" hhe snapped from his position on the floor.

Wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I managed to choke out a response, "Thanks, I will." Odd rolled his eyes but even he couldn't hold back a smile. Each of us finished getting dressed and taking turns going to the boys' bathroom in the dorm. Odd had just gotten back, decked out again in bright purple and pink. Smoothing the last of the gel he used into his hair, "So ready for breakfast?" he asked.

I finished tossing the last of my books into my messenger bag, "Okay hot shot, whatever you say."

_Regina_

I woke up at exactly 6:54 a.m, same time as always. My eyes snapped open at the melodic sound of my alarm. Taking a minute to remember where I was, calmly, I switched it off and casually rolled out of bed. Literally, I rolled off the twin sized bed onto my hands and the balls of my feet. I counted off each push-up as they came, stopping at 30 when my arms became too fatigued. Rolling over, I began my sit-ups. This time I did two sets of 48, switching the type of crunches to work each muscle every eight count. My core was still partially engaged when I sat up again, a light sweat on my brow. Straightening my legs in front of me, I bent foreword. With my palms around the soles of my feet and my nose against my knees, my hamstrings burned slightly from the stretch. After holding for a couple minutes, I moved on to the next position. I swung one leg back, bending the one in front, and worked my hip flexor. Before switching legs, I reached back, grabbing my foot and tugging it towards my spine. My quad ached from being contracted for so long. I did the same to my other leg before finally standing.

My shoulders rolled and my neck cracked while I rose up on my toes and back down. Several pops and snaps could be heard as my body finally really began to wake up. "Alrighty then," facing the armoire that I had filled the night before, I stripped down out of my shorts and tank top I wore last night. From my wardrobe, I picked out a loose white long sleeved shirt, a pair of dark denim shorts, and one of my many pairs of black tights. My balance wasn't perfect, and I hopped around my room trying to pull up the sheer leggings. Finally I got them so they covered from my toes to my naval. Over my head I pulled down the shirt, pushing the sleeves up to my forearms. I stepped into my shorts and buttoned them up.

Fully dressed, I took a brief detour to the bathroom, but after brushing my teeth and going pee, I found myself back in my new home. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it was a quarter to eight. I still had 45 minutes before my first class began. I sat at a little vanity that came with all the dorm rooms. "Maybe today I should at least try to look nice. It is after all, my first day," I said to my reflection.

I brushed on powder till the blemishes on the girl before me disappeared. Next I drew thick black lines on my upper eyelids, letting the marks come to a point past the outer corners of my green eyes. Finally my lips were painted bright red with waxy lip stick. The color nearly matched the deep red of my hair. My hair I then dealt with next, brushing out knots from the uneven, straight layers. I messed with my bangs until they sat right. Finally, I felt remotely ready to start the day.

My feet sunk into my leather boots. Without tying the laces, I breezed out the door to my dorm. The grey backpack on my shoulder held everything I needed for the day. It was my first day at Kadic, and I never expected much when I headed to my first hour class that morning. But it really was the start of something new.

_Ulrich_

"Ulrich? Hey Ulrich!" Odd screamed from across the table.

"Huh? What Odd?" I was annoyed. Yeah, I was staring off into space but yelling at me wasn't the best way to get my attention.

He pointed down at the bagel on my tray, "Are you going to eat that?"

Unbelievable. I shoved my plate in his direction. Odd being Odd, wasted no time in stuffing his face for the third time that morning. Noticeably enough for him to see, I rolled my eyes.

"What's on your mind, Ulrich? You have been kind of distant this morning." Yumi asked from the seat next to Odd. The two of us had joined her, Jeremy and Aelita when we finally reached the dining hall. She had a curious expression across her face. I just wasn't in the mood to start anything up, and that's exactly what it would do if I brought up who I was looking for. Through the different pods of kids packed into the cafeteria, I hoped to catch sight of the Bohemian-styled girl from yesterday.

"Nothing, really… I'm fine." As time passed and breakfast ended, it was clear that I would not see her this morning.

Yumi let out an irritated _Hmmphh_, "If you say so."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I managed to get first hour off today," Jeremy piped up.

Odd crossed his arms, bagel crumbs all over his cheeks, "And how'd you manage that, Einstein?"

"I'm far enough ahead in biology that Ms. Hertz has agreed to let me have today as a 'study hall'" He answered, making air quotes when he said the last two words.

Aelita spoke next, "So basically he'll be at the factory testing some new theories on how to get William back."

"You got that right," he followed, smiling at Aelita. It's too obvious that those two are into each other. The way they carried a secret romance by the how they slumped slightly against each other when they thought no one could see, was innocent and so sweet it could cause cavities.

Odd let out a laugh, "Good, because I don't think the clone's going to work for much longer."

Okay, even I couldn't fight a smile from this. The copy of William did everything out of the usual; besides looking like him, they were completely different individuals. We all enjoyed the joke that made light of the horrible situation. In short time, I found myself standing from the table.

"I gotta go. English quiz, and I've already been late to Mrs. Morn's class three times."

I was met with 'see-yahs' all around when I turned and walked from the table. Soon though, I felt someone on my heels. Yumi was hot on my trail and pulled me over to the side a few feet outside the double doors to the cafeteria.

"Ulrich be honest with me, is everything okay? You've been acting very strange lately." She asked putting a hand on my shoulder. Cornered by her, I felt a faint blush rise to my cheeks.

Finally, I cleared my throat and answered, "Yumi I've just had a lot going on. But I really am okay, in fact, there's something kinda great going on." I moved her hand off of me before continuing, "I promise I'll tell you more later, but I don't know how it'll go yet… might be nothing."

"Oh… well that's great, Ulrich. Just don't be a stranger." Yumi covered the shake in her voice, but it was clear that something had bothered her. That's what confused me. She tells me she wants to just be friends but then gets weird about things, like what just happened. She took off down another hallway after that, fidgeting with strands of her black bob.

And now, I was sitting in a desk by a window. My pencil drawing graphite trees and my mind running rampant over everything that made my life… interesting.


	4. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry for the delay on chapter 3! Things have been so crazy and I promise the next part will get up faster! Thanks for the Favs/Follows/Reviews and I hope to see more soon! If I don't post before, Happy Holidays!**

**-Lullaby for a Stormy Night**

* * *

_Ulrich_

The first few class periods passed uneventfully. English, German, Algebra, the same old same old. At the end of math, Odd and I both began to shovel our notebooks back into our bags. "So, is fourth hour study hall for you today?" he asked me.

I briefly thought about my alternating schedule before answering, "Yeah, it is."

"Ugh, I'd rather have that than choir. Seriously, if I have to sing one more song about 'being your best' I'm going to scream."

"Well that would definitely add to the performance," I mumbled through a laugh. He smiled back at me as the bell rang, signaling it was time to part ways. We left the Mrs. Meyer's room together. After a little ways down the hallway, Odd said his good-bye, promising to see me at lunch.

"Ciao, bro!" he waved, taking off for the music department. Shaking my head I wandered through the different areas of the school till I got on the other side of Kadic. There, I found the library. Shuffling inside, my focus set on my favorite table. It was the only one totally hidden from view of the librarian's desk by bookshelves. I rushed through hoping to get it before anyone else could. My pace hastened, cutting past all the other kids settling into their own books.

_Awesome, no one took it. Maybe I'll be able to actually get work done today… or I can just take a nap too. _My phone buzzed in my pocket and I peeked down for what I thought was only a second. A message from Jeremy read, "Great progress today! Not ready, but trip 2 sector 5 soon."I was so focused on the text, I didn't notice the girl heading for the same spot. She came from the other side of the tall book cases, and I didn't see her until we slammed into one another. A book was in her face, so really neither of us was really paying attention. Upon connecting, the book smacked me on the forehead, and my phone flew across the room. I felt something bang into my shin, and we both tripped over.

"Hey, you mind watching where you are going," I groaned, rolling myself up, "try sitting and reading."

"How about no phones in school? Or are you immune to that rule, huh?" growled an all too familiar voice.

I looked back over my shoulder, and sure enough caught sight of a tuff of brilliant red hair. "Reggie? Oh my God, I'm sorry." I spun around to help up the girl from the floor. Regina took my extend arm and lightly pulled herself up.

"Thanks, and you should be," she smirked to let me know there was sarcasm in her words. Our hands lingered a little bit, "Uh, I'm up now, you can let me go."

I blushed, "Oh, yeah sorry… didn't know if you had gotten your sea legs yet."

"Hmm… good one. How about we just share the table? Can we manage not to kill one another?" The fiery red head winked at me. With the way her make-up was done, today she looked like a vintage pin-up.

I smiled back, feeling a little relaxed by the charming way she brushed off the awkward moment, "I'll try my hardest. So, how are classes going?"

"Eh, the day's been okay. Just another one of those 'first day' moments. Biology was dull, web pages was nearly all review, and don't even get me started on speech."

"That bad, huh?"

"You said it, not me." She laughed. "Sorry I smacked you with my book by the way; I think you dented the cover."

"They do say I'm hard headed," I winked back.

Regina raised an eyebrow in my direction, "Yeah, and who says that exactly?"

"All my adoring fans of course." I leaned back in my chair, lacing my fingers behind my messy hair. _I need a haircut_.

"Oh Ulrich dear!" clearly ran out through the library.

I let out a huge sigh, did I really have to deal with this right now? "Speaking of which, here comes the president of my fan club now."

Sissi popped around the corner wearing her usual too small pink T-shirt. Seriously, how desperate could you be? "Oh Ulrich, I didn't know you'd be here today," she leaned closer to me, "how would you like to study with me back in…"

Her words drifted off when she noticed Regina's annoyed expression. Her arms were crossed and she had gone from care-free to intimidating in seconds. "Hello," she gave a forced smile.

"Oh, Ulrich… who's your friend?" Sissi whined. This time it was her face that grew red.

"Regina, Sissi. Sissi, this is Regina."

"What are you the—"

"Yes I am," Reggie sounded almost bored and a little nervous when she cut of the principal's daughter.

Sissi immediately grabbed her shoulders and began stuttering, "OMG, I-I could hardly believe it when my dad said you were coming here. I really, well I really love your work and you're such a—"

Regina planted a hand over her mouth, "Hey, I'm just another girl, right?" Sissi nodded in response. "I have work to do now; maybe we can talk later, okay?" She nodded her response again, and Reggie let go. The Kadic self proclaimed 'princess' smoothed out her clothes, and briskly walked off without another word.

"Wow, I've never seen Sissi get quite like that, or seen anyone handle her that way."

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Suddenly she began paging through her copy of The Great Gatsby, "I get mistaken for a celebrity a lot. Similar name, look alike, the whole shebang."

And with that, the conversing was over. We each did our own work, occasionally stealing peeks at one another. But the silence wasn't awkward; it was actually pretty comfortable.

_Regina_

Once again, the bell rang through the halls of the school. This time, they signal lunch instead of another class. I packed up my things and pondered the unnecessary stressors associated with school lunch. Where to sit, who to sit with, all the gossip, my gods, it was obnoxious. But Ulrich caught me off guard, "So, little miss celebrity, if you don't have an autograph session to be attending. Wanna have lunch with me and my friends?"

"I hope that was sarcasm, and yes, I would." He got another nervous grin on his face. I really liked the way I could make him blush. Together we left the media center for the cafeteria. We talked only a little but that was okay. Silence with Ulrich just worked for some reason. In short time, we were within range of the smell.

I crinkled my nose, and Ulrich let out a snort, "Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think."

"I don't know, smells pretty bad." We shuffled into the already bustling room. Kids everywhere were taking seats, standing in lines, and jabbering loudly. I began to feel nauseated when he nudged my arm.

"Go ahead and wait in that line," he pointed across the room, "I'm going to go rendezvous with my friends real quick, and I'll meet you there, okay?"

I winked at him again, "I'm a big girl; I think I can handle that."

He took off to the opposite side of the lunch room, while I took my place in line. Up ahead I could make out what looked to be some sort of salad bar. "Wow, he managed to show me where I could find something fresh." I stood patiently, tapping my foot every so often. Suddenly someone appeared to my left and scared me. The girl had bright pink hair and wore a purplish dress.

"Oops, sorry there. I'm Aelita, a friend of Ulrich's."

"Uh, hi?" I managed to say, trying to calm myself down again.

She smiled at me brightly, "He had to take care of something real quick, so he sent me over to help you out."

"Thanks, but I think I've got this. It wouldn't hurt for you to keep me company though."

She shrugged and giggled simultaneously and stood to my right. When it was our turn, we loaded up trays full of food, and I followed her back to their table. It sat directly in front of a large row of windows. When we reached it, she immediately took a place next to a blonde boy in glasses. He looked over from the Asian girl he was whispering to across the table to smile at her. Then I realized something, these were the same kids who glared at me last night for no reason, or at least the one girl did.

"Hey, you survived!" Ulrich smiled, but I could see a new exhaustion in his eyes.

"Yeah I lucked out," I laughed back. He and the boy dressed all in purple behind him took their seats next to one another, and he motioned for me to take the seat on the very end at his left.

"So, Regina, how are you liking Kadic so far?" the dorky looking boy in the glasses.

"It's okay, I've been to quite a few schools, but it's definitely been good so far." I answered trying to make myself fit in. Ulrich gave encouraging smiles next to me and that helped me calm my nerves.

A very sharp voice piped up next, "Where did you come from, and why'd you come here?"

"Yumi!" they girl named Aelita said with a gasp.

"It's okay," _kill her with kindness, Reggie_ my mother's voice rang through my mind, "where I come from is hard to explain. My family travels a lot. I was however, just living in Scotland for a few years. My brother decided to come here so, that's what I'm doing now too."

"Who's your brother? Maybe we know him." They purple-clad boy spoke up.

To be honest, I hadn't been able to find him yet, so I was in need of help, "He's my twin actually. His name is Wi—"

I was interrupted by the man who gave me the tour last night, "Ah, I see you kids are being hospitable to our new student?"

"Yes, Jim. Of course." The pink haired girl smiled.

"Good, good," his attention turned back to me, "and I hope everything is going well for you today Miss Dunbar?"

"Very well," I answered honestly. But then as the gym teacher walked away, I couldn't help but feel the five sets of eyes locked on me. "What's up? You guys look like you've seen the ghost."

"Your name is Regina Dunbar?" Ulrich asked, and element of concern to his tone.

I hesitated briefly,_ here we go_, "Yes, why?"

"As in the Olympic hopeful Regina Dunbar?" The kid with the spiked hair asked.

_Oh God, they knew_, "Uh… maybe."

"Who did you say was your brother again?" The angry girl asked, Yumi I think her name was.

"His name is William, William Dunbar. Do you know him?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay again! Please fav/follow/review and enjoy!**

**-Lullaby for a Stormy Night**

* * *

_Regina_

"Look, I have to go. I'll see you all around… maybe," I muttered, abruptly standing up from the table. There was only so many awkward looks and so much silence a person could stand. _Never fails, _I thought to myself. Here I had thought that I may have actually been making some progress, but no. My reputation freaked out another possible group of friends.

I walked off away from the cafeteria. My statement wasn't a total lie, I did have somewhere to be, but I would be a bit early. I was lucky that way. My daily training allowed me to have unique and flexible schedules: something that I took for granted besides on days like these. I needed somewhere to go right about now. Embarrassment had nearly consumed me from the scene in the lunch room. The look on Aelita's face, the hate in Yumi's eyes, and even the way Ulrich refused to acknowledge me was enough to make tears want to spring from my eyes. I didn't even know what I did but I shot away from the table like a rocket.

Finally I reached the P.E. department. I went through a set of doors on the left and found myself within the girls' locker room. I dug through my back pack to find the set of clothes I stashed in there earlier. Quickly I stripped out of the outfit I had put on only a few hours ago. To replace them, I slide an embroidered black and silver pullover over my head leaving the neck unzipped. Then I stepped into a pair of matching yoga pants and a pair of brightly colored shoes. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders, ready to go.

I stuffed everything back into my backpack and made sure to bring it with me. I despised the idea of leaving my stuff behind. The very thought of anyone going through my things drove me insane. At the other end of the locker room, another set of doors brought me into the open space of the gymnasium. Sure enough, the room was set up perfectly for me.

"Wow, they will really bend over backward here for me." I whispered with a whistle.

"Of course they would. You're their star pupil." My trainer reminded me from across the room. Lori had followed me all the way to Kadic and was like a second mother to me. She was dressed similarly to me only in deep blue instead of black, and her short graying ponytail was bland compared to my bright red hair. "Come on, princess. Let's get to work."

_Ulrich_

I felt like an idiot, and a jerk, and practically every other horrible name you could call somebody. At lunch all I could do was just sit and stare at my food. I couldn't believe that I had managed to forget the simple thought of asking Regina her last name. Sure, she had seemed a little familiar when I first met her, but I assumed she just had one of those faces. But no, she was Regina Dunbar, future Olympic athlete and the twin sister of the one person who we managed to trap on Lyoko as our enemy. On top of all that, I was blowing my chances of ever getting her to consider going on a date with me.

Pretty shallow, I know but it was something I had been thinking of. Extra emphasis on the _had_ especially since the way I acted at lunch. I wouldn't blame her if Reggie never wanted to speak to me again. After she had left the table, we all looked at each other with the same expression: Ah shit.

Yumi was the first to break the silence, "What are we going to do now? The William clone is barely able to fool the teachers, we've had so many close calls with his parents, but now his sister is here. How do we handle this?"

"We'll manage, we always do. But this does put some pressure on me solving the issue of getting William back as soon as possible." Jeremy said while adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah and that's fantastic and everything, but how do we keep her at bay till then?" Yumi asked in a low harsh tone.

Odd of course, had an answer, "Well that's simple. Isn't it Ulrich darling?"

"Where are you going with this Odd?" I grumbled from my spot to his left.

"Oh, you know. It's pretty obvious that you two have a thing."

I glared back at him, my eyebrows knitted together. If he was implying what I thought he was implying, then I didn't like where this conversation was heading, "What are you saying Odd?"

"Easy," he said casually between bites of food, "all you need to do is keep the very pretty girl distracted. Make it so that she doesn't have time to see her brother because she could be with you." His grin stretched ear to ear as he pretended to swoon next to me. I shoved him roughly away.

"Are you kidding? Regina is not going to be as easy to distract as Sissi. Plus, with what happened today I seriously doubt she will give me the time of day."

"Give it a shot Ulrich. She needs to be dis—"

I cut Odd off mid sentence. Slamming my palms into the table, "No, I won't do it. I am not someone you can just use like that."

"Ulrich, I think Odd may be right." Yumi quietly whispered from the other end of the table. Absently she twirled the food on her plate with a fork.

This really rattled my brain. "What?" I found myself asking against my will.

"You may be the key to buying us sometime and it's not like you would be really taking one for the team anyway." She fidgeted slightly as she spoke, like it made her skin itch.

"I'm not saying yes to this," I pleaded but they all stared at me like I was the last hope for Earth. Well, almost everyone. Yumi wouldn't meet my eyes, which was strange because we were 'just friends'.

Jeremy cleared his throat, "But are you for sure saying no?"

In response I let out a deep sigh. Rubbing fiercely at my temples, I stood away from the table, "Look, I scheduled the small gym for some private practice. I think I'm going to head over there. I need to think through some things."

"You want company?" Yumi finally voiced again.

"No," I turned her down sharply. Part of me felt bad for doing it, but I really needed to be alone before I really did any true harm in my 'grumpy' state. Without any other words, and one very worried look from Aelita, I was gone. I stomped through the halls and out the main doors of the school. Trampling across campus, the cool autumn air brushed the bare skin of my face. _God, it's getting cold fast._

In a short time, I found myself at the one of the other entrances to the school. I passed through the doors and wandered along a hallway until I was in front of the boys' locker room. Pencak Silat, as much of a necessity is was for Lyoko and keeping everyone safe, it had been my release first. Quickly I changed into the black garb I always wore during my training. I did my own stretching before walking out barefoot into the gym.

There were three in the building on three different floors. The top two were the largest and always reserved for classes. Meanwhile, the smaller bottom floor gym was accessible to students during certain times and could be reserved. I've spent a lot of time in the gymnasium. Usually, in the past, I would take Yumi. We would show each up, showing off who was stronger and would usually end up in intense sparring matches. Those were good days, but now they were gone. This gym was becoming more and more of just a gym.

With a deep breath I pushed open the heavy metal doors. My jaw dropped at what had taken over the Gym.

"Move it! Come on, you aren't even bronze worthy." A middle aged woman chastised. And sure enough, the girl she told off was the same red head I had snubbed a half hour ago.

Regina continuously pulled back her right hand to her cheek. With it, a chord spun the two wheels on either end of her thin compound bow. Each release of her index and middle fingers was followed by the affirming thud of the arrow reaching her target. Every shot grew closer and closer to the bull's-eye with growing speed and accuracy. I watched silently as she would reach down to her right to pluck the next arrow from its quiver. Her breathing was steady and even and couldn't possibly alter her sturdy stance. Over and over she followed the same pattern, totally oblivious of her audience. There was definitely something beautiful and elegant about this girl when she was in her element.

"HEY!" but my focus was broken by the other woman coming towards me. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I, uh, was," I stuttered and stammered as she stared me down.

"He's okay, Lori," an unexpected voice rose through the room, "Ulrich isn't anybody to get too worked up over."

Okay, I'll admit it: I deserved that, "I'm sorry to interrupt your training, but, uh, I reserved the gym for myself today."

"No problem, we can move. I need greater distance anyway. Lori, go ahead and set up outside. I'll grab my gear." Reggie continued. At her command Lori left with one last disapproving glance in my direction. When it was just the two of us, Reggie turned to gather her equipment.

I reached out and caught her left elbow, "Hey, I'm sorry about lunch today."

The look on her face made me regret touching her, especially with the bow still in her right hand, "It's okay. I'm used to it." She shrugged off my hand tried walking away again. Reggie got back to her quiver before I called out again.

"Look, I was a jerk… a huge one. I was going to do this before, but I was wondering if you would want to go out with me one night."

My words stopped her in her tracks. She spun her head back to look at me while she continued to gather her quiver and a backpack I hadn't noticed was there. It wasn't a lie; I really did want to ask her out from almost the first moment I saw her. "Friday, pick me up at seven from the girls' dorms. You better have something good planned to make up for today." She smirked at me before exiting the gym after her trainer.


	6. Chapter 5

**As always, thank you so much to my reviewers and followers! You guys have no idea how much it means to me to have such positive feedback and hear from you guys! You know what to do,**

**-Lullaby for a Stormy Night**

* * *

_Ulrich_

I paced uneasily in front of the girls' dormitory. "I shouldn't do this, this is stupid." It was Friday night already. The sun had set about an hour ago making the sky deep navy with a faint moon casting subtle light down upon the campus. "God, I'm going to screw this up I just know it."

"Well, you keep talking like that and sure you will." My head snapped around to find Reggie gliding down the steps. Her sarcastic tone did not prepare me for the sight I witnessed. Regina wore a simple black dress with a low neckline and long sleeves. Around her neck, a grey scarf embellished with silver tree branches was layered. Her hair was pulled back in a bun decorated with gold chopsticks making her high cheekbones clearly visible. Everything about her just looked so…

"Earth to Ulrich! Why are you staring at me like that? I asked if you are ready to go?" she said with a soft laugh.

"Uh, sorry. You just look really nice tonight." Immediately I felt under dressed in only my blue jeans and button up green shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

But I got a smile in return, "Thanks, you don't look bad yourself," she finished making her way down the rest and crossed my path, "green is my favorite color after all."

"Come on," I muttered, hoping the blush across my face would fade away sooner than later, "we don't wanna be late." I lead her off the grounds slowly, taking a longer route and showing her some of my favorite parts of the campus.

"Past those trees over there is a clearing that opens up to a creek. It's the perfect spot to hangout away from on-lookers, aka the principal or Jim." I pointed in the direction of the site of many secret 'get togethers' at Kadic.

"Ahh, I see." Regina mumbled indifferently. Her black combat boots trudged along in the mounds of dead leaves.

"You're bored, aren't you?" I stopped walking to ask.

"We've only been out for 15 minutes! Relax, I'm having fun, just got a lot on my mind." She shrugged while looking up at me through her red bangs.

"Okay, enough of this," I began to walk again and she followed, "let's blow this pop stand."

_Regina_

We finally made it outside the school's gates in what felt like a matter of seconds. Ulrich continued to lead me through the unfamiliar streets of the city. "Where in the world are you taking me Mr. Stern?"

"Don't worry about it, come on." He said just as he disappeared around another corner. Shaking my head, I headed around the bend letting my finger tips run along the cool stone. But Ulrich wasn't on the adjacent street. I wandered halfway down the block before I heard the sound of paper tearing. Looking down, a simple piece of printing paper was stuck to the ground with only a single arrow pointing to the left on it.

I looked over my shoulder to find a nearly empty diner with large windows covering the front. Squinting I could make out the back of Ulrich's head sitting in a booth. When I pulled open the plain, bronze colored door a bell chimed softly. "Welcome, sweetheart. Take any seat you like," a blue haired woman behind the counter greeted in a sing-song kind of voice.

Naturally I took the seat across from Ulrich. On my side of the table was a single white lily with big, open petals and an orange center. I let the corner of my mouth turn upward into a happy smirk. "You said you wanted something special didn't you?" he teased in a cocky, yet sweet kind of way.

"I did, I did."

"And did I deliver?"

Now it was my turn, "I guess you'll know when it happens." He grinned at me in a big, goofy sort of way, that seemed to be a classic Ulrich thing to do, and, so far, I liked it.

"Here you go, complements of the house." The woman from before swooped over and placed a big slice of French silk pie between the two of us.

Ulrich smiled up at her, "Thanks, Martha but there is no way I'm not paying for this."

"Oh, sweetheart, like you have a choice." She winked at him before walking away to tend to another customer in the restaurant.

"Do you know her or something?" I asked Ulrich lowering my voice.

"Uh, yeah," he rubbed at the back of his skull, "Me and Martha go way back. It's kind of a long story."

"We have plenty of time," I countered. As we ate our desert—which was the best pie I had ever tasted—Ulrich told me about how once upon a time, he threw a heavy stone and shattered one of the panes of glass in the front of the diner about two years ago.

"I had hit a rough spot you could say, and I didn't really know how to manage my temper. So, hence the broken glass. Martha refused to press charges and made me work off the cost of replacing it. I dunno, she just kind of took me under her wing and became a good friend." He said smiling down at the plate.

"Sounds nice," was all I replied with. For nearly two hours we just sat and talked. The conversations shifted from childhood horror stories to favorite things to the likely hood that Ms. Hertz and Jim were involved in a steamy forbidden romance.

"I don't even want to think about that," Ulrich managed to spit out between deep snorts.

"I'm telling you it is going on. The chemistry between the two is too strong, and their babies will be perfectly averaged out!"

"Oh my God, Reggie you are out of your mind. I'm concerned for your health." Gently he reached across the table and rested his hand on my forehead, "Hmmm… you don't feel feverish."

The action, though only for fun, made my face heat up. My eyes glanced around as he retracted his palm and landed on a clock, "Wow, that late already, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess though…" Ulrich sighed digging out his wallet. He threw a couple bills down onto the table, "There is one more place I want to take you and we gotta beat it before Martha realizes I paid."

_Ulrich_

Together we bolted from the restaurant. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down all the right streets and alleyways. We ran the entire time. I kept the pace while Regina followed laughing and calling my name the entire time as the breeze pulled down her hair piece by piece. Finally we reached the right place and I quickly pushed her inside. We sprinted all the way up the sets of stairs and into my home away from home. She kept laughing the entire way; a rich, healthy sound that convinced me it could make any one happy. But her vocalized joy halted as she exposed herself to the dim amber light that filled the space. "Wow," was all I could hear her say. Gradually she made her way further inside taking in every detail. Regina's eyes stopped over every stop bath and every photograph hung to dry or just to be scene. Visions of street corners and Kadic students decorated the walls and she seemed to absorb all of them.

"Like 'em?" I asked her, stepping up closer behind her back.

"They are amazing, are they all yours?" She pondered out loud, never letting her eyes stray for a moment.

"Yeah, this was a gift from my dad for my 16th birthday. Kind of a whole 'hey you like photography, maybe this will make up for being a distant dad' kind of thing."

"And again… wow."

"I'm glad you like it. The space is entirely mine, but I share it with other photographers around town who haven't totally forsaken the old ways. I just, I don't know, wanted to show you."

Smoothly she turned around in the small space between me and the table behind her. The room wasn't that big in the first place, but my steps closer to her didn't improve the arrangement. "I'm glad you did," she whispered staring deep into my eyes. Bit by bit I lowered my face towards hers, and she seemed to raise hers. Our lips became only millimeters apart, and I wanted them to touch so badly. I weaved my fingers into Regina's, and I felt the undeniable hope that it would happen…

At the last moment, she pulled her face away, "Not yet, tough guy," she whispered into my ear.

"I understand, but that yet implies soon," I sighed before joking to lighten the tension.

"Yeah, okay. It will _imply_ whatever I say it does, pretty boy. Come along, walk me back," Regina smiled heading out of the blackroom. So, I did just that because I knew now that there was definitely something worth waiting for with this one. We back tracked through town once more and entered the campus grounds. Our hands stayed interlocked for most of the journey and a part of me was curious as to what it meant. Too soon we were back in front of those steps where I saw her for the first time that evening.

She dropped my hand and stepped away to face me, "Thank you Ulrich, I had an amazing time tonight. Maybe we can do something again, next week or whenever?"

"Definitely," I paused for just a moment to think, "you really enjoyed what happened tonight… all of it?"

Reggie narrowed her eyes slightly as if calculating her answer. Before I could react, she stepped forward and pecked my check quickly with a kiss. "Does that answer your question?"

Before any reply could be made, she retreated back up the steps. "Good night, Regina," I grinned like an idiot after she was gone back inside of the dorms.


	7. Chapter 6

**Here you go my readers! Hoping to hear from more you in reviews or through pm... Just happy if you guys are liking it!**

**-Lullaby for a Stormy Night**

* * *

_Ulrich_

My leg bounced under the table. Jeremy sat next to me and cleared his throat irritated because he was actually attempting to pay attention to the history lesson on colonial America. My focus was locked on the ticking clock. Its plain black and white face mocked me as only five minutes left to my day ticked by. "Good grief, Ulrich. What's your deal huh?" Jeremy leaned over and asked.

"Sorry, nothing. I just want this to be over. I've got something going on after class."

"Yeah, like what?" He prodded with one eyebrow raised under his large, round glasses.

Softly I shook my head, "None of your business, Einstein."

"You know we were planning on heading to sector 5 today. I hope you still plan on being there today," he almost seemed to be scolding me. Jeremy had that tone going, that same 'You better sort out your priorities' vernacular.

"Yeah, I'll be there. I always am right?" I sighed. _Only three more minutes to go._

"Don't get moody, Ulrich," Jeremy reprimanded, "it's just that all of us know that you are the best warrior on Lyoko. You've saved the others so many times and with William, we need all the hands we can get." My skin itched a bit at the sound of his name. This time it wasn't over jealousy, but more for the want to protect a girl.

The bell rang, and I hurried to be one of the first out of the classroom. Before I took off like a bullet, I whispered to Jeremy, "Don't worry brainiac, I'll be there right on time."

And then I was out of there. I pushed through crowds of kids in the hallways and straight in the direction of the P.E. department. Today was Wednesday, which meant she had training at two. Class was dismissed at Kadic at 3:30 which meant Reggie would be done soon too. Or I would just bother Lori until she let her go.

Sure enough, set up outside the gym, Regina Dunbar continuously practiced her Olympic sport. Arrow after arrow was guided by her bow. Every single one fell within a least the secondary red ring. I sat down on the sidelines and just watched. She noticed me coming and shot me a smile, more powerful than ten of her arrows.

"Hey, let's not get distracted by the boy now, keep going or we're going to be here another hour," Lori yelled across the way.

"Come on, let me go. My quiver's almost empty anyway." Regina called back, a small laugh to her voice.

I decided to join in, "Lori, come on. I'll take good care of her and have her back before you even notice she's gone. The lady needs a break."

"Stay out of this Ulrich. You're a bad influence," Lori waggled her finger at me, but I could hear the lightheartedness in her voice. She liked me; I knew it.

"Please, please, please! Lori, let me go have some fun for like an hour or so." Regina begged in the most sarcastic voice ever. These two were so much fun to watch.

"Maybe when you empty your quiver…" Reggie probably had each of the arrows in the target by the time Lori finished her phrase. My jaw dropped slightly as I watched her notch and let loose each one with crazy speed. I never had seen anyone go that fast, but she still did pretty well score wise. She dropped her bow and took off towards me. Grabbing my elbow, she pulled me away in the direction of the clearing I had shown her on the first time we went out.

"Regina! That is not what I meant!" Lori called after us.

"See you later Lori! Come on Ulrich." She just kept running. Eventually, her hold slipped from my arm to my hand, and we ran side by side with our fingers locked together. We reached the clearing in just a few minutes, and it was deserted as always. I was completely out of breath, while Reggie only panted lightly.

"Remind me to work on my cardio before next time I wanna see you," I laughed, partially bent over.

"Sorry, I forget. I just really wanted to be with you, and stuff."

"And _stuff_? Isn't that a little vague for you?" I teased. Regina was way too smart to be talking like any other girl at Kadic. She was like a female Jeremy, only way easier to be around and about five million and seven times more attractive.

She fidgeted with the sleeve of her training jacket, "Yeah, I know. I've just been struggling a bit lately. That's all."

"What's a matter?" I asked walking up to her and taking her hands, shooting a goofy grin in her direction. She smiled back a little, and I felt like cheering for being the reason for it. Tugging me along, we sat together on the fallen tree that we had made into our own bench. We brought along an old blanket for us to use since it was our usual hang-out spot now.

"My brother," I tensed up at her answer. I knew that _that_ would arise one day but right now… wasn't so ready for it. "I see him every once in awhile, but he just kind of blows me off. He almost acts like he doesn't recognize me. Really though he just kind of acts like a zombie and I'm worried about him."

"I'm sorry, I guess I don't really know your brother that well, but that must really suck." I spoke past the lump in my throat.

"Yeah, it does," she leaned her head onto my shoulder, and I rested my chin onto her temple, "but it's not your fault." Her whispered words into the side of my neck turned my blood to ice.

"Yeah," I said blankly.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked straightening up again. I nodded my answer and she pushed a finger into my chest, "Okay, enough with the dreary stuff now."

God, this girl was amazing. Regina pulled out her smart phone and pulled up a radio station that played classics from the 80's. The musice provided the perfect background noise even though between the two of us, there wasn't much room for silence anyway. We talked and talked, like we always did when we were alone. We were taking time and getting to know one another more and more. Reggie told me more about the places she had visited during her years of training. I wanted to just sit by and listen to her amazing stories, but she forced out information from me. I told her about my parents who lived over in England. She asked me what they were like, and I told her that my mom was kind but often was overpowered by my dad.

"What are you going to do right? My dad sent me here to basically try to prune me to become the model son, but where's the fun in that? Now I'm just here for the party."

She giggled girlishly, "Is that so?"

"Well not all of us can be beautiful, genius, Olympic athletes now." I muttered, bumping her shoulder playfully. She bumped me back and took my hand again. "Reggie, two questions."

"Shoot."

"First, why are you so amazing, and second… what you know, is _this_?" I asked wiggling are joined hands.

She looked up towards me tilting her head. "Well, this," she copied my movement, "Is the beginning of something, and this," before I could prepare myself, she leaned in and gave me a strong but gentle kiss on the mouth. She kind of pushed me back a little too much and I ended up fallen backwards off the tree with her pinning my shoulders down. Our mouths locked on tightly, and one of my hands rose up and cupped the side of her face. The connection of our lips deepened occasionally taking breaks to breathe. At one point she pulled away and smiled down at me, "This is proof that you are one of the people who can make me a better person."

She stood up and held out a hand to lift me up too. That was probably a good thing because my tailbone was a little sore. Standing, I wrapped her in my arms, so happy to have her, and so happy to know she felt the same. I leaned away just a little so that I could lower my mouth back onto hers, she opened her mouth just enough for my tongue to slip in and dance with hers.

Both our hearts were pounding and our faces flushed when the familiar ringtone sounded from my pocket. I really wanted to ignore it, but the responsible part of me made me pull away from her. I squeezed her hand as I answered the device.

"What do you want Jeremy? I'm in the middle of something. I told you I'd be there tonight and—"

"Ulrich! Xana has launched an attack!" He yelled at the other end.

"What?" I shouted back.

"You heard me, super-scan picked it up. Head to the factory, I have Yumi and Aelita with me. No word from Odd yet." Jeremy huffed. They must be running.

"Okay, I'll—"

"Ulrich," Regina called out tugging at my arm. It was then that I could feel the heat. I looked back briefly before taking off, holding her wrist tighter than ever before.

"Jeremy, it's a fire." I yelled as I ran.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how, but Xana has started some sort of fire; I think that's his attack. It's at the clearing at school. I'm headed for the factory. Call Odd." And then I hung up without a reply. I had too much to worry about without arguing with Jeremy. The flames of the wild fire behind us spread faster than they should of. We sprinter through the park, I was determined to keep Reggie safe, whatever it meant. I lead her to the factory entrance in the park, but we were cut off by the blaze.

"Come on, this way." The Hermitage was our last shot and it had to be untouched.

Regina hurried along next to me panting as we ran, "Where are we going? What can we do?" I decided to risk pulling her to a stop real quick. I needed to catch my breath anyway but we had to hurry. Thick smoke curled through the air, stinging my eyes.

"You just have to trust me okay? I'm going to get you somewhere safe but right now Kadic isn't. I'll explain everything to you later. I promise." She nodded her head in response and I kissed her one more time quickly before we picked up speed again.


End file.
